POSCO Future M (003670) is partnering with U.S. battery materials company Sila to develop advanced battery materials.
POSCO Future M announced on the 13th that it recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Sila at COEX in Seoul for joint development of advanced battery materials. The signing ceremony was attended by Hong Young-jun, head of POSCO Future M's research center, and Gleb Yushin, founder and chief technology officer (CTO) of Sila.
POSCO Future M plans to further advance its battery materials technology by combining its cathode and anode materials expertise with Sila's silicon anode technology. Silicon anode materials offer up to 10 times higher energy storage capacity compared to conventional graphite-based anodes, significantly extending electric vehicle driving range while dramatically reducing charging time.
The two companies expect to use carbon nanomaterial technology to suppress battery volume expansion during charging and discharging—a weakness long associated with silicon anodes—and prevent structural deformation to significantly extend battery lifespan. They also agreed to explore ways to leverage POSCO Future M's carbon materials technology to improve cost competitiveness of expensive silicon anode materials.
Sila is a battery materials company headquartered in California that possesses high-performance silicon anode technology. The company collaborates with major automakers and battery manufacturers with the goal of improving EV driving range and reducing charging times, and operates a silicon anode production facility in Moses Lake, Washington.
"We have decided to combine each company's industry-leading technological expertise to develop advanced battery materials technology," said Hong Young-jun, head of the research center. "We will expand this partnership beyond technology development to include supply chain collaboration."
